Automatic spray machine



Feb. 13, 1945. I Q A, BARLOW 2,369,424

' AUTOMATIC SPRAY MACHINE Filed May 3, 1943 4 SvSheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Geozjgeufl @ar/0149,

BY v

v Ma.

ATTORNEY Feb. 13, 1945. G'. A. BARLW 2,369,424

AUTOMATIC S PRAY MACHINE Filed May 3, 1943 ,3 Sheets-Sheet 2 r ATTORNEY Feb. 13, 1945. G. A. BARLOW AUTMATICY SPRAY MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 3, 1943 INVENTOR. George BOUQZO w,

BY ATTORNEY spray l guns: and the Patented Feb. 13, 1945 GtfgeA. Barlow; wilmingtqmnei. f `ApplicantMtv3,.1943;.seria1No;485,497 n.

a claims.; (01.. .1n-915) The` present invention` "comprises` an .auto-v t c matic spray` machine, `especial-ly adapted'r for use in spraying hides, to replace. manually operated l` like; now: commonly used` intanneries. i i

. Objects of. this invention are `to provide'. an automatic; l machine p which l. completely removesV 4the necessity for human intervention except to stop andI startvthe machines; toprovide aimachine which the: lateral; extent of the spray is coextensive with the sides of theconveyor which y carriesthe hides to be sprayed, eliminating waste or. spray material; .to provide. a. spray` in which Figure 6 is.` aidetailfragmentary` sectionarview.` taken on. `the line 6-6 wot Figure" 3, looking in` p theI direction oft the." arrows; "and `showing tof 'adu vantage thef. spray gun trigger trip mechanism;

and l view of the plunger androcker" arnl;V u l For the purpose of; illustrating theapplica=- t tion of' this'invention,` I have inthe drawings the. discharge nozzle `is .at `all "times in. `close H proximityto the hides insuring uniform appli-:`

cation of spraymaterial-to thehides; and :te` u include vin the machine .baille means to shield" themachine from, the spray material,` elimihating.. periodical removal of Vthe encrustation,`

by mechanical andchemical agencies, `which is now necessary, `thehaiiie likewise. protecting the:

`operator from contact by the spray material.`

Under actual working conditionsmy machine, coacting with.. a standard conveyor,"prac`tical1y `eliminates. `unsprayed or partly sprayed hides,

Before the advent. of the present invention, it was not `uncommon for `fifty percent (50%) of,`

l to the shown a` conveyor` of conventional design. The conveyor is of the endlesstype commonly' usedf` in tanneries for .transportingahidesg as illus-1 `trated at 9', the hides` being manually coated? in the finishing operationwith a suitable spray l material i preparatory to conveying the hides` heating ovenshin amanner `wellknown `intheart. w .l

rllhe `machine. ofr. the present invention isV l adapted' to "be" positioned'A transversely across` the hides to be returned for refinishing. With this ;invention,`due principally to the unifornt` distribution of` the spray materiaL'hides of uni-1 form grade result'. In addition, sprayingrof the hides is greatly expedited to the extent that un.-

der favorable `conditions two operators `can turn outmorethan `twice the` work done by three operators, using` the hand spray method. i `Withv l the machine of this invention. a saving ofl about.

one-third W3) of the spray material is `effected and the operators work` undermuch healthier conditions;` y

Other` objects of the invention will be apparent `from the following descriptionyof'` the presentpreferred form of the invention taken in connection` with the accompanying drawings wherein:"`

Figure 1 is a front elevational view oramachine constructed in accordance with thel present invention, illustrating its applicationias applied toa hide carrying conveyonfpart of the`l "Figure 2 is a top plan viewl o f thesa'me; i Figure 3 is a vertical sectional* View taken on line `3 3 of' Figure 1,` looking in `the `direction machine beingbroken away to disclose details;

of the arrows,` showing to advantage the manner of mounting `the spray gun carriage;

`Figure 4 is a detail fragmentary sectional view` the conveyor 8, adjacentonelend` of the latter,` i 2 especially as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

My machine consists of, a frame llwhich may be of any desired shape and `constructed fromi the stress'` of theoperating partsofl the` machine hereinafter referred to; -The frame i'spresently shownto be of skeleton construction formed from side thereof, is' equipped with tracks Hf, `each track consisting' of anupper andwlower run- V xedly secured to the ends of the frame as shown-` p in Figure l2. The tracksare adapted for the re-Qy -ception of a carriage generally designated .`I2',*

the carriageincluding rollers I3 whichk comple-`` ment and' are movably engaged with the tracks..

H. The carriage also includes a supporting arm I4 to which isdetachably `connected `a spray gun |51 of substantially standard construction; The

gunfinclud'es the usual air inlet I6, `spray inletu llandspray outlet or dispensing nozzle I8". C The gun valve is operated .in a manner known `in the art, by a trip I9' whichis operable to open the i valve andpermit the spray material to be ejected through the dispensing nozzlefl. 1

Thekpresent invention includes `novel means for `operating the guml which `rneansis automatic in its operation. `This .means consists of a link A2l) one end of which is engagedfwith the` trip IllV and the opposite end'engagedwithfa shaft 2I` whichextends axially from .a trip roller 22.`. The

' trip` roller isgmounted "to ridefon* a runner 2-3,tlie` l latter forming a part of therrame I0; The uri-vT per face of the'runner is toii'setyat'the terminals i l of thel'at'ter, as indicatedat 24, to effect 'autof of the carriage, operating plunger andcylinder; Figure 5 is a detail fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3 lookingin the direction of the arrows, illustrating' the marinerofmountingthe spray gun carriage on the lower tracks of the machine:

maticclosing of the spray` Vgun valve,a`s the roll-A er reaches the oppositeends `ofthe runner. B'yj y this arrangement the sprayf is` `shut oi before" the side extremities; of tha` ccn'iveyor` have" "been f y The carriage |12` is reciprocated bysuitable` :neg tive means carried bythe frame l0, includinga;

Figure 7' is;` a` detail fragmentary` perspective.

A shaft 33 extends across the top of the frame in parallel relation to the shaft 30 and carries on oneof its terminals, outside the frame, a driving crank 34 which latter is operatively connected through a rod 35 with an eccentric crank 36mounted on one end of a driven shaft 3l. The shaft 31 isin parallel relation to the shafts 30 and 33 and extends forwardly beyond .the front of the frame into engagement with one end of l a rocker arm 318. The rocker arm is provided with a slot 39 in which a pin 40 is adjustably mounted, the pin being engaged with the upper end "4I of a plunger 42. The plunger extends downwardly in front of the frame, as

shown to advantage in Figures 1 and 2, being mounted for movement in a rocker shaft 434 car-` ried by a supplemental frame 44 which projectsl outwardly from the front of the frame IG and is suitably supported thereon by braces 45. The opposite ends of the `rocker arm are 4formed to provide pintles which are mounted for movement in trunnions 46. 'Ihe lower terminal of the plunger 4.2 is reciprocably mounted in a cylinder `4'I, the cylinder issuing from a nipple 43 formed on the carriage I2 and extending upwardly from the latter, as illustrated to advantage in Figure 4. The bore of the cylinder cor-V responds with an opening in the carriage which latter communicates through a bushing 49 with a valved vent casing 50 to relieve the air resistance on the plunger on the extreme downward stroke of the latter. I have found that this construction eliminates undue strain and wear on the rocker arm 38 and its associate mechanism. When the motor `2'5 is brought into operation, the carriage I2 is reciprocated in its tracks I I to traverse the conveyor 8. The throw of the plungery may be adjusted in an obvious manner and the speed of the motor controlled through the instrumentality of the mechanism just described.

Heretofore in thisv art the hides were rst placed on the conveyor by the operator and sprayed with an air gun. This method resulted in the spray material coming in contact with the operator, the conveyor and associated mechanism. The material solidifies and after each days operation is removed by scraping and chemical agents. In order to eliminate the possibilityof the spray material contacting the machine of the present invention, or the operator, I employ suitable lbaille means consisting of a vertical plate I and a lhorizontal plate 52. The plate 5l extends completely across the front of the machine and isdetachably engaged to the supplemental frame 44, as indicated at 53. The lower end of the plate 5I may be anchored in any Suitable `manner on the upper run of the outer track II as illustrated in Figure 3. The horizontal plate 52 has its forward end bent upwardly at right angles in front of the lower run of the outer or `dispensed from the nozzle I8 of the spray gun. `Upon reference to Figures 1 and 4 of the drawings, it will be noted that the outlet end of the nozzle I8 is in very close proximity to the hides,

preventing waste of the spray material and inr'suring uniform application of said material, as

the spray gun is reciprocated across the conveyor. The dispensing nozzle remains at all times in the same'horizontal plane and the'volume of sprayed material is constant, until the spray gun nears l the lateral extremities of the conveyor. At these points the gun is automatically cut off to correspondingly prevent the spray material from being dispensed, until the cycle of operation of thel carriage has been completed and the return movement begun. The out 01T is elected by yoperation of the trigger I9. When the roller 22 moves into the depressed zone 24 at each end of the runner, the link 2l! gravitates, permitting the trigger I9 to move downwardly, in which position it remains, until the return movement of the carriage actuates the roller 22 to a point beyond the depressed zone of the runner. I have in this way been able to eliminatewaste of the spray material.

`Although I have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of this invention, it is of course to be understood that various changesr may be made therein, within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What is claimed is:

`1. A mechanism for finishing'hides comprising a support for the hides, a spray machine mounted over said support and including a frame,va track way carried by the lower end of the frame and a reciprocatory carriage movable along said track way, oscillating means carried by the upper portion of the frame and connected to said carriage for imparting reciprocatory `movement thereto, a nozzle carried by said carriagev and spaced laterally therefrom, a fronty bale Yplate secured to the frame and extending into the space between the carriage and nozzle and a bottom ways.

2. A mechanism for nishing hides comprising a support for the hides, a spray machine mounted over said support and including a frame, a track way carried by the lower end of the frame and a carriage movable along said track way, means for moving said carriage along the track way, a supporting arm on said carriage and projecting laterally outwardly therefrom, a nozzle Iixed to I said arm in spaced relation to said carriage, a

forwardtrack II. The plate 52 may be secured to the bottom of the frame in any desired Inanner. This leaves, on the front of the machine, only the space between the forward runs of the track through which the carriage arm I 4 extends.

In usevof this invention, my spray machine is mounted to extend across the hide carrying convertical front baille plate secured to the frame and extending into the space between the carriage and nozzle and a bottom horizontal baille extending below the track ways and having its forward end spaced from the lower end oi the front baille to provide a slot through which the nozzle supporting arm extends, said slot between the bales permitting movementA of the nozzle along the track ways.

GEORGE A. BARLOW. 

